Heavy metal from Iran...I´m psyched! Well, perhaps I´m more psyched about the fact that heavy metal can be illegal in some countries - countries like Iran, for example. A heavy metal band singing about political issues of the country, would probably lead to a death penalty in that country - who actually knows! At least one would probably lose a couple of arms or legs or...well, I guess you got the point anyway, didn´t you?

Angband cites old Iced Earth and Nevermore as strong inspiration in their songwriting, and I think they pretty much hit the nail pretty close to its target by mentioning especially those 2 aforementioned names as some of their main inspirations. However, it´s the band´s vocalist Ashkan that makes the biggest impact on listeners, having this relatively strong Barlow-ish vibe in his voice, which cannot be a bad thing by any means as most of us simply love Barlow´s powerful and great voice, don´t we (just listen to "Incarnation of Truth" - and you will get all the Barlow-isms you need)? Also, Angband´s heavy metal is introduced like a stripped down version of Iced Earth´s stuff, kind of having less all those important elements that make Iced Earth such an unique band from the pack.

Not intending to ruin any of your days, but to be honest, Angband sound, even at their best, like they could have a collection of raw versions from some early Iced Earth songs demoed and put on this record. And this is not to be mean or anything, but just sticking with the facts as they appear, and are offered to listeners, based on the material on RISING FROM APADANA. On the bright side, there´s a spark of potential trying to rise from their stuff, but at first they should get rid of most of the plagiarism of early Iced Earth´s stuff (don´t find that much of Nevermore from their sound though; only tiny occasional hints from here and there). Then rehearse a bit more, hire a 2nd guitarist for the band in order to give that final, needed punch for your stuff - and I guess you´ve got something a bit more worth introducing there.

Oh, as a last thing maybe it should be mentioned as well that Angband is the first metal band out from Iran to sign a worldwide record deal with a European label.

Track Listing

01. Incarnation of Truth
02. Lighter Days
03. The Eyes
04. Flaming Sight
05. Before the End of Time
06. Look into the Abyss
07. The King's Command